Roller moldboard plow



March 17, 1953 E. K. THOMPSON 2,631,516

ROLLER MOLDBOARD PLOW 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed April 8, 949

E E INVENTOR. i 5 7 f flaw 4.

FTTJ/F/YEX March 17, 1953 E. K. THOMPSON 2,631,516

ROLLER MOLDBOARD PLOW Filed April 8, 1949 v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented Mar. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RQLLER MOLDBQARD PLOW Eugene Kenneth Thompson, Tecumseh, Mich.

Application April 8, 1949, Serial N0. 86,160

I 3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to plows, and more particularly to a new and improved type of plow wherein the well-known moldboard has been entirely eliminated and in replacing the same there is provided a new and improved roller moldboard which consists of a plurality of adjustable tapered steel rollers. For many years now agriculturalists have had theproblem of how to successfully plow through heavy sticky spotted fields, or hard compact soil without continually stopping to shift gears on their tractors. With this unique type of roller moldboard the user is enabled to plow heavy soil with a certain sticky texture, especially heavy clay or gumbo, the soil traveling from the back edge of the plow point out into a wellmolded furrow without coming in contact at any time with any flat surface, which woud tend to raise the friction of the plow. Once the operator has begun his furrow, using this type of roller moldboard, he may continue to plow an entire field, having at his command extra horsepower with a relative decrease in fuel consumption. It has been further discovered that by using this unique type of roller moldboard construction, together with dual landsides, when plowing, practically all of the draft is created by the plow point and the molding of the furrow reduces the draft to a minimum. In plowing heavy sod this has a great advantage because the sod slides around the last roller on the roller moldboard without breaking or kinking the furrow. The instant construction can be built to fit any plow with a straight or .curved beam, as well as plows with wheels or power lifts.

The above and other objects will appear more fully from the following more detailed description, and from the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the plow per se.

Fig. 2 is a front perspective view with parts broken away to show the top mounting brackets for the rollers. I

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a section taken substantially on line &-S of Fig. 2. H V

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral Ii] designates a plow beam used to connect the plow proper to a tractor, or other source of power, not shown. The plow per se is a built-up structure comprising a frog l I, which is constructed of two pieces of metal, namely the portion II, which in turn is bolted to beam IE! by means of bolts l2, and stands in an upright position, and portion I3, Fig. 2, which has a flange It to which portion II is bolted, by means of bolts I5, portion I3, which is positioned parallel to the ground. Detachably secured to plate I3 is a point or share it, the same being secured to plate I3 by means of bolts passing through the top and side thereof. A pair of landsides are provided, one comprising a short steel member I1 located just back of the point I5, and secured thereto by means of bolts l8, Figs. 1 and 2, and the other in the form of a guide wheel or rolling landside I9 located well back of beam It. This wheelmember I9 is rotatably supported upon a shaft 2'0, a portion of which is fluted,- as at El, and adapted to fit within a pair of wide supporting brackets 22, the interior of which are ribbed to engage said fluted sections on shaft 20, and hold the same in nonrotatable engagement within said brackets once the user has set the wheel at the desired angle. As shown best in Fig. l, the brackets are of sufficient width and are so spaced on the side of frog I I, to allow shaft 2'8 to be moved not only laterally, but longitudinally within the brackets 22, to suit the user. Bolts 23 hold brackets 22 to frog I I and'ma'y be quickly loosened or tightened to allow movement of shaft 28.

Pivotally connected to plate I3, as at 24, is a tubular supporting member 25, the same providing a support for one end of a plurality of axle members 26, 21, 2-8, 29 and 30five openings being provided in tube 25 to receive said axles, and the lower portion of each axle having therein a recess, as at BI, Fig. 3, said recess engaging the edge of each opening to support same within the tube. To space axles 2E, 21, 28, 29 and 30, there are provided within said tubular supporting member 2-5 a plurality of spacer members 32, the same being interposed between the lower portion of each axle, Fig. 2, to tight'ensaid spacer members 32 against lateral movement within tubular supporting member 25, there is provided a screwthreaded plug member 33 Fig. 8, adapted to fit within the end of tubular supporting member 25, said plug member having a ball 34 formed integral therewith. A telescoping arm member, formed as at 38, 39, Fig. 5, is provided, the same having section 39 thereof secured as at 4! to the lower portion of frog II, and a set screw II! to lock sections '38, 39 securely ina predetermined position. Section 33 of-telescopic support has formed on one end-thereof av flanged cup meming ring 6i and the lower bearing race.

her 35 adapted to receive ball member 34 on plug 33. A flanged cap member 36 is provided, the same being adapted to fit over a portion of ball 34, the flanged portion of cup and cap members being held in locked engagement by means of bolts 37 which pass through openings in the ball and cup flanges provided therefor.

Axles 2'6, 21, 28, 29 and 36 are provided to rotatably support five tapered roller members 42, 43, 44, 45 and 46. As shown best in Fig. 2, the top of axles 26, 21, pass through openings 41, 48, formed in frog II, and are anchored therein by nuts 49, 59axles 26 and 27 rotatably supporting rollers 42, 43. The upper ends of axles 28, 29 and 38 are supported by means of hanger supports 52 and 53, which in turn are bolted to frog H, hanger 5! being placed in front of beam 18 and hangers 52, 53, in back of the beam. Axles 23, 39 and 30 pass through openings in said hangers provided therefor and are held against movement by means of nuts 54. Rollers 43 and 45 have circumferentially secured thereto a plurality of lugs 55, although the lugs may be staggered over the rolleror placed to form a circuitous path, as desired. Rollers 44 and 46 are rubber coated, for added frictional engagement with the soil, the other rolls having smooth steel surfaces. It is to be understood that the openings in the frog and hangers for the upper portion of axles 26, 21, 28, 29 and 38 are not round to snugly engage one end of the axles, but elliptical to allow for lateral adjustment before tightening the axle against movement.

The interior of one of the rollers is best illustrated by Fig. 3, which is a cross section of roller 45, Fig. 2. The central portion 56 of the roller is hollow, the top and bottom portion thereof being reduced to receive outer bearing races 64, 68,

which are pressed into the reduced openings in V the roller, and 65, 61, the inner bearing races supported upon axle 30, with numerals 57, 58, designating roller bearings carried within said races, the upper race being held in place by means of lock nuts 66, and the lower race resting upon collar '68 whichis interposed between an oil seal A dirt sealing ring 63 is provided at the bottom of axle opening to prevent foreign matter from entering the interior of the roller. The top of the roller opening is sealed first by means of a dirt cap 69 and immediately therebelow a plurality of oil sealing rings 62. An oil duct 59 is provided as a means for replenishing lubricant to the interior of the roller to lubricate the bearings therein.

The manner in which the plow operates is as follows: Before attaching the plow beam to the wellknown tractor coupling, the user has first to determine the type of soil to be plowed, size of furrow required for planting the particular crop in mind, etc. With some crops it is best to turn the soil being plowed, completely over, but with other types the soil should simply be laid to one side. To accomplish this tubular supporting member 25, which in turn supports the lower ends of axles 26, 21, 28, 29 and 30, of rollers 42, 43, 44, 45 and 46, may be moved away from or toward the plow structure proper, and once the angularity of the rollers has been determined as that desired for the particular type of furrow desired, tubular supporting member25 may be locked in the predetermined position desired. This is accomplished by opening wing nut 48, which tends to holdtelescopic brace 38, 39, rigid and elongating or shortening said brace to suit the desired width 4 required. Cup and cap 35, 38, are opened to allow the user to loosen plug 33, which in turn releases pressure and allow spacer members 32, which are interposed between the lower end of axles 26, 21, 28, 29 and 30, to move apart, allowing lateral movement of the five'axles in tubular supporting member 25. Recessed portion 3! of each axle engages the edge of openings in tubular supporting member 25 for the axles to pass through and allows back and forward movement of said axles. The openings for the top of the axles formed in the frog and hangers are of sufflcient size to allow some movement, and by opening nuts 54, the upper portion of rollers 42, 43, 44, 45 and 48, may be adjusted to suit the user. Once the desired angularity of the rollers has been determined, plug 33 is again tightened, which in turn tightens sleeve members 32 against the lower portions of the five axles in tubular supporting member 25, and holds them in proper which is part of plug 33, is'then placed in cup spaced relationship to each other. Ball 34, 35 and cap 36 is closed thereover and tightened down by nuts 3'i,and wing nut 48 is tightened to hold telescopic sections 39' and 38 in predetermined position.

Rolling landside wheel E9 is adjusted, as shown in Fig. l, for the trial furrow run. Beam 10 is then secured to the tractor adjustable coupling usually provided with this type of equipment,

and the user runs the plow for a few rods into the type of soil to be plowed, as a test as to depth of furrow, width of furrow and as to turnover of soil. As point It engages the soil it tends to dig into same, beam [0 preventing the depth from being too great. The short landside i1 tends to keep the plow on an even keel at the front thereof, and if the test furrow is not straight, the user has simply to loosen nuts 23 on brackets 22, which in turn support shaft 20, and adjust theshaft by turning the same sufficiently to have wheel 19 contact the vertical side of the furrow being plowed. Once the right angle has been determined, the nuts are tightened, and inasmuch as the portion of the shaft 28 beneath brackets 22 is fluted, the shaft is non-rotably held within same. This rolling landside at the rear of the plow acts much as the rudder of a ship and tends to keep the plow on an even straight keel, providing rolling friction at all times instead of the drag or surface friction provided with a long metal landside found on most plows.

It will be noted that plate I3, which in turn supports point 5, is quite narrow, which in turn eliminates a great deal of sliding friction. As the earth passes up upon point I 6 it immediately contacts roller 42 and the ribbon of soil passing over point I6 is moved from roller to roller. Lugs.

55 on rollers 43 and 45 tend to engage the ribbon of soil passing thereover and force the same along, which in turn keeps each of the rollers turning constantly. With the rolls as herein disclosed they will receive the sod on a more nearly horizontal plane as it leaves the point and gradually lift it to a vertical or nearly vertical position as .it is carried to the rear. The rolls are made to taper from their'upper to their lower ends, so that as the sod passes over them the enlarged upper ends of the rolls will push the upper edge of the sod outward so that by the time the sod reaches the last or most nearly upright roll, its

upper edge will have been pushed outward beyond the lower edge, and the sod thus caused to fall with its face downward. The tapering of the rolls and their gradual approach to an upright position both combine to completely turn the sod over and prevent it from moving up to the handles of the plow. The rollers turn upon their individual axles, which are stationary at all times, and roller bearings within the rollers tend to still further lessen friction.

If the user does not wish to turn the sod completely over, he has simply to adjust tubular supporting member 25 outwardly away from the frog until the angularity of the rolls is such that rolls d4, 45 and 46 will lie at approximately 45 which would not be of sufficient height to turn the sod completely over, but simply slide it to one side.

Although the plow is heavy, its unique construction embodying a very short landside just back of the point, and a rolling land side back of the beam, and all rollers having rolling bearings therein, the moulding of the furrow reduces the draft to a minimum and practically all of the draft is created by the plow point [6. The use of five rollers, supported angularly as herein disclosed, has been a real revelation in the plowing art in actual use. With this set-up the soil travels from the back edge of point it on out into a well molded furrow, as it passes over the five rollers, without coming in contact with any flat surface to raise the friction of the plow. It has been found that the soil becomes somewhat broken up as it passes over the rollers which is a great aid in the fitting of the soil, and reduces the air pockets in the furrow formed when plowing with this type of plow. This in turn helps to hold moisture longer after planting. With this design the draft of the roller mold is reduced suificiently to enable the operator to plow through heavy sticky spotted fields, or hard compact soil without stopping to shift gears on his tractor. The great weight of the plow causes the same to stay put in the soil and plow a uniform depth and width. The rollers are so constructed that they are at all times self-cleaning and self-oiling. With this type of roller mold, when plowing heavy sod it has been found that the sod slides around the fifth roller 46, without breaking or kinking the furrow. An additional advantage has also been found in using rubber-coated rollers for at least two of the five rollers. Rollers 44 and 46 have been coated in this manner, the rubber greatly aiding the passing the ribbon of sod over the five rollers.

While I have described and illustrated a satisfactory plow that has proven highly successful in practical operation, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to specific constructional details shown and described, but that r many changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the principles of the invention.

I claim:

1. A plow comprising a beam, a frog member supported upon said beam, a point member supported upon said frog, a short stationary landside supported upon said frog adjacent said point, a plurality of rubber covered rolls rotatably supported upon axle members fixedly supported between said frog and an adjustable tubular supporting member supported by said frog, said tubular supporting member having openings therein to receive the lower portion of said axle members, spacer members disposed within said tubular member and interposed between the lower portion of said axle members, and an adjusting screw threaded plug member adapted to fit within one end of said tubular member to impart pressure upon said spacer members and tighten same against the lower portion of said axles to hold the same in spaced relationship to each other.

2. A plow comprising a beam, a frog member supported upon said beam, a point member supported upon said frog, a short stationary landside supported upon said frog adjacent said point, a plurality of rubber covered rolls rotatably supported upon axle members fixedly supported between said frog and a tubular supporting member swingably supported upon said frog, spacer members disposed within said tubular member and interposed between the lower portion of said axle members to hold said axles against rotation, a screw threaded plug member having a ball head formed integral therewith and threadedly engaged in one end of said tubular supporting member, a telescopic arm member having one end thereof secured to the rear of said fro member and the other end thereof having thereon a cup and cap member adapted to receive the ball portion of said plug, and mean on said telescopic arm member for securing said telescopic arm member in a set predetermined position, and in turn hold said tubular supporting member at a desired distance from said frog member.

3. A plow comprising a beam, a frog member supported upon said beam, a narrow point member supported by said frog, a short stationary landside supported upon said frog adjacent said point, rubber covered rolls rotatably supported upon axle members, projections upon the face of certain of said rolls, brackets supported by said frog, a movable tubular member supported by said frog having openings therein to receive the lower portion of said axle members, spacer members within said tubular member for holding said axles'against movement, openings in said frog and bracket members to receive the threaded upper portion of said axle members, nuts to engage said threaded portion of said axle members and hold the same against rotation, and means for adjusting the angularity of said rolls comprising telescopic means interposed between said frog and one end of said adjustable tubular memher to hold the same in locked predetermined position.

EUGENE KENNETH THOMPSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 16,913 Frye Mar. 31, 1857 336,734 Needles et al. Feb. 23, 1886 487,142 Estes Nov. 29, 1892 1,201,286 Guttormson Oct. 17, 1916 2,182,620 Fleck Dec. 5, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 734,124 France July 25, 1932 

